" Thanksgiving Day " by Diana

The turkey is being trussed,
the pies are being planned.

A day of gratitude
will soon spread over
this land.

The hams will be hot,
the rolls steaming too.

Mom and dad will be busy,
what will you do?

Some will be rooting
for their favorite team.

I will be praying for
the ham to be lean.

Sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes
with gravy on top.

It's all so good,
but now I must stop.

Whats that you say?
Pumpkin pies on the way!

So much for the diet,
tomorrows another day.

Hugs and kisses,
so many abound.

Grandmas and grandpas,
are always around.

Prayers of thanksgiving
is why we are here.

We'll see you again,
same time next year.


I wish everybody a wonderful and loving
Thanksgiving Day!

Love Di

" Helloooo , Can Anybody Hear Me ? "

Wow it's so quite . Can anybody hear me ? Helloooooo....
Alright I guess everyone is out turkey hunting .

I'm busy too you know , and I managed to blog today !
Well truthfully I'm not busy at all.

I didn't do much today really . I went and worked out first thing or I would
have ended up not going at all. And then I went to church to do a little office work.



While I was there this morning one of our senior members stopped by for some
information about some things and then he just wanted to chat.
This man is so sweet and honestly I have never met more of a gentleman in my life.

He is widowed , twice , and has nothing but wonderful words and fond memories of his late wives. He is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the privilege to meet.

My DIL Amy , who also cleans houses , cleans this gentleman's house. She's been cleaning for him for a few years now and also has grown fond of him.

I don't know of anyone who dislikes this gentleman or can say a bad word about him.

His short term memory is pretty poor . He often writes everything down in his little notebook. I don't think that he remembers my name most of the time, even though
we've known him for several years.
We invited him to our home after Katie's confirmation this past April. He loves to eat and will go just about anywhere for a meal. He happily excepted the invitation and had lunch and dessert at our home.

He told me today that he was seeing a woman. I was a bit speechless for a moment but not surprised. Companionship is something that he longs for as he is lonely.



He told me that while he was enjoying her company, it just didn't feel right.
That made me sad . All he really needs is some food and some loving.

My DIL and I were talking about this today on the phone . I think that she was somewhat surprised by his news as well. He had told her about this woman
he was seeing a while ago.

He told my DIL that when he tried to kiss her , she turned her face and gave him her cheek! Poor dear . I did feel for him.
And than he told my DIL that for a $60.00 dinner, he would have at least liked to have had a decent kiss!



Again I am speechless. What can you say to that! I didn't ask Amy what she said to him about it but now I wish I would have!

I am happy for him even if the companionship only lasts for a little while.

This was the highlight of my day today.

The low point of the day came after Katie came home from school.
As with any day after school, the first thing that Katie does when she gets home
is walk the dogs.

She put Roxy's leash on and went out the back door only to turn around and walk right back in the kitchen where I was cooking. I instantly knew that something was wrong. I heard her say " Mom I can't walk the dog, I just fell.".

O.K. first of all I was very impressed that she managed to hang on to the leash through the fall . She was so quite about the whole thing. I didn't think that it was
a big deal until I saw the blood dripping from her chin!

Then she started to panic from the sight of the blood as we made our way to the bathroom. She was a bit shook up.

She hit her chin so hard on the concrete
that not only did it take a good size chunk of flesh out
of her chin, but it hurt her jaw and ears from the force of the fall.

Of coarse I was out of peroxide , antibacterial cream and band-aides.
We cleaned it with soap and water. It looked pretty bad but not bad enough for stitches. I did have some gauze and tape on hand so we patched it up with that.




After I got her settled down a bit, I went to the store to replenish my first aid kit
and we redid her chin. I even bought the clear band-aides so that it wouldn't be so noticeable. She is doing fine now. Chatting away .

I do think that it may leave a bit of a scar , but it is situated such that
it won't be noticeable.

It is Thursday evening and it is almost 8:00p.m..
You know what that means don't you ?





It's almost time for "Grey's Anatomy" !
I know that I am not the only one out there who watches this so I am going
to finish this up so we can watch it.

I do hope that you all have found the perfect turkey.
If you haven't as yet , Happy Hunting !

" Hi , Come on In !! "

Where there are friends .
there is joy...

Well Hello !
Come on in .

It's Tuesday morning and I suppose that I should be busy doing
household chores and such . But I'm not . No here I am with you !
There are many things that need to be done around here but I simply chose to put my feet up , grab a cup of coffee and have a chat with you all .





I did manage to leave the house this morning however .
My bank made a little faux pas with my checking account . Isn't this wonderful news?
Really , I am being totally serious . It wasn't me this time !
There is still hope for my aging brain , I can still add and subtract .

The lovely ladies at the bank realized there mistake as they were exactly the amount over on their count last night . Why this is a cause for celebration !
So I went and worked out . Two mornings in a row .






Miracles do happen after all ! So to reward myself , here I sit visiting with you.
There couldn't be a better reward.

I will get up and do some things that need to be done when we finish our coffee.
I have already trimmed the long threads on Katie's frayed denim quilt this morning,
and then I threw it on her bed. O.K. first of all I washed and dried it
three times and it still has not frayed enough. It certainly doesn't look like the one in the photo from the internet . Am I surprised ? Not really .
But it really doesn't look too bad and Katie loves it . That's the most important thing.

I also haven't put a backing on it yet as that requires a 40 mile trip and some extra cash. The latter of which I do not have , so I will put a backing on it in a few weeks.
This is the photo of the one that I got off of the internet.



I will post the photo of mine next . Yes you can clearly see that I am an amateur.
The squares don't appear even because it hasn't frayed completely .
I have a feeling that's going to take several more washings !
This was my very first attempt at a quilt. It was pretty easy so I am moving on to another one for my grandson Jack. I will not be doing another frayed one however.






It is a cold and rainy day here today . The thought did occur to me that at this time last year we had our first few flurries already. This November has been unseasonably beautiful this year. I am done going out for the day.
Tomorrow the work days start !






Tomorrow I have to go clean my peoples basement in preparation for their
Thanksgiving dinner this coming Sunday . Thursday I will be working at church .
Friday I will clean my peoples upstairs of their house in preparation for their Thanksgiving dinner . And then Saturday morning I will be filling in at "Curves"
for a few hours.

So it will be a busy week for me. This is why I thought that we needed some time to chat ! Oh dear my coffee has gotten cold . I guess that I talked to much. I must apologize for not letting you get a word in edgewise, it is a bad habit of mine.
One of which I am constantly trying to rectify !

One last thing before you go that I would like to mention. As you may or may not know, times have been very lean for us around here lately . I was in desperate need of a haircut as my hair grows very fast.

You know what they say about desperate times and all , right ? Well I decided to let my 14 year old have a go at cutting my hair . Hey , I figured if she messed it up I could just wear my bandannas until my hair grew out .

I told her that I wanted it VERY short otherwise I have to get it cut every three to four
weeks . So I gave her my good pair of hair cutting shears and let her have at it !
Was I nervous ? You bet . But I just kept reminding myself how fast my hair grows.

It took her an hour . It was a nice hour . We had a wonderful mother daughter
talk. I learned many more things about her and she learned many more things about me . It was a pleasant hour yet an itchy one.

And here are the results........

I think it came out pretty good . Maybe I won't have to go out for a cut anymore.
It feels great .

So there you have it . I would love to talk with you some more over coffee but I'm afraid I must get busy now . This house doesn't run itself you know !

I'm so glad that you stopped by . We must do this again soon !


Note : I tried to post this in the morning but Blogger said no.
So just pretend it's Tuesday morning k ?
Thanks.

" Finally , Finally , Finally ! "

It has been a long time coming, well at least it feels like a long time .
Today was THE best day that I have had in over a month !

If you read my previous post you will find that this past month has been ,
for lack of a better word , Crazy !

I also haven't been feeling well at all for a few weeks , what with the strep throat , constant headaches and just feeling very strange the past few weeks ,
I was beginning to wonder if I was having medication foibles.

Actually I was a bit scared that it might be something more serious.
However when I woke up this morning I felt wonderful.
This really eased my mind as I was dreading a visit to the doctor and
the inevitable tests.
I am thinking that I may have just had a touch of the flu.

Since I was feeling so good this morning I decided to go back to work on Katie's
Frayed Denim Quilt. My first try at quilting. I worked diligently on it for seven hours
and managed to get it done. It is at this moment being frayed in the
washer and dryer. I will post a photo of it after it's on her bed.

Katie is very happy with it and now wants matching pillow cases.
I agreed but only after I make one for baby Jack, my grandson.
I'd like to have his done for Christmas.

In between all of this quilting I did manage to make Katie and I a few good meals.
My only regret for the day was that I didn't attend church .
Today was the first day in over a month that I didn't have to leave the house to work
or run errands. I actually stayed in my P.J.'s all day!
I missed going to service but I so enjoyed the relaxing day.

I even was able to listen to some Christmas music while quilting.
This was like being in heaven for me today.
Why even my teen was in good spirits and we enjoyed our girl time today as well.

As an added bonus, my son , daughter-in-law and my grandson stopped by
for a visit. Pinch me I am dreaming!

The day has drawn to an end now. Katie has just went to bed and the dogs are
asleep. The house is clean, the quilt is done and I am feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

I do believe the Lords face has shined down upon me today.
Oh and by the way, I am finishing up this wonderful day by watching
" The Wizard of Oz " !

I can't remember the last time that I had such a good day.
I am feeling very grateful right now.
Thank you Lord!

Goodnight and God bless us one and all !

" I'm Baaaaaack ! "

And aren't I lovely as ever !
Wow that was one long month.
Shingles , bacterial cellulitis , Strep throat twice , hospital stays , outpatient visits , inoculations , dealing with insurance companies
( isn't that always fun !) , filling out forms , faxing , waiting for checks ,
cooking , cooking and more cooking , cleaning , laundry , working ,
praying , not sleeping much , pharmacy visits , more cleaning ,
cheering up , more cleaning , more praying ,
well you get the idea and I am absolutely positive that I have left something out !

I've been busy. What can I say ?
Today I dropped my husband off at his truck . For the first time in one month . I am still praying for him . And I miss him already .
That part never goes away . However I am enjoying my alone time right now . My daughter Katie has company so she doesn't care if I am here or not right now .

Something else that's been on my mind today . It was one year ago today that I had my first stroke followed by a second "mini " stroke in February. I didn't want to mention it really but it's just there .
I try not to think about it much and I try not to worry about it happening again , but the simple fact is that I do .

It is the reason that I started my blog per my Daughter Ginny's
advice . I do believe she was trying to get me to relax .
Thank you dear .

It's hard not to think of it when there has been all of this stress floating around lately . But here I am , one year later , one year older and perhaps most importantly , one year the wiser for it .

And that is all that I want to say about that day .

Yes this past month for us has been challenging to say the least.
It has been very stress filled and full of worry .
Worry is something that we all need to avoid .

Matthew 6:27
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

It's not quite as easy as it sounds at times. But my husband and I
continually remind each other of these words .

And while I know that our stress and worry will continue
over the next few months , and maybe even years ,

I am here today and I am alive .
For this alone I am grateful.

I am back.

" The Autumn Of Her Life " by Diana

The wind was cold and dry as it brushed against her cheeks .

And even though she quickly felt the shiver of the wind flow over and around her skin,
It felt wonderful . It felt refreshing .
It made her feel alive .

The moon hung low in the sky,
glowing in beautiful warm shades of amber.






It was the harvest moon .
To her , it was the most splendid moon of the year .

She closed her eyes beneath the moonbeams
and she could hear the yellow, orange and red leaves
rustling past her silhouette.






One or two of the dried leaves touched her skin as she took
a very deep breath .

She imagined what the warm flames of the wood fire looked like
that someone unknown to her had lit in their fireplace.

That inviting scent mixed with the smoky scent of burning leaves
lingering in the air , filled her lungs and brought a smile to her face.






And while all of this was a special treat to her senses, she was getting colder now and realized that she would soon have to go back inside.

These magical days of this season were fleeting now
as were the magical years of her life .

The days grew shorter as did the years.

Yes she was getting colder now as well as older.
It was time to come in out of the chill to warm her body .

But her mind would always remain warm filled with the thoughts
and feelings of this beautiful season
and this beautiful life.

" An Experiment In Delirium "

If you are in fear of catching a virus or bug of the human kind ,

via the internet stop reading now !


I am doing an experimental post today. I can not think properly so I am curious as to what the absence of my usual thought process will produce.






Let us see shall we ?
Follow me , or at least try.


My husband and I had thought that Katie was getting better but then we discovered that we were wrong . Katie has strep throat again .
She is taking antibiotics , drinking tons and tons of water and sleeping.
And when she is not sleeping she is trying to make me laugh , those hysterical fits of laughter , or she is being a snotty !#! teenager .


It's really pretty outside . I am freezing . No fever , my skin is ice cold .
I keep getting bad headaches .
It's strange . I am having pretzels and a diet coke for lunch .
I really don't feel like eating . Besides whenever I do it sounds as though
there is a miniature lion in my intestines (intestines pronounced with a long - I , as I like it that way ) roaring and roaring .


Jake is feeling well enough to take care of Katie and I . At least good enough to walk the dogs and fix food .


And I just got through telling him that he didn't have to be such an ass when I told him that we had buns for his pot roast sandwich.
He was having it on an English muffin. I was trying to be nice .





I am tired of being nice . I am tired period . I think that I am cranky too as I have just yelled at Katie and Jake again. I don't deal with being sick at all. It makes me angry because I don't want to just sit here and do nothing . That is stupid .



And I don't want anyone taking care of me . It makes me feel like I have a slave . I don't want and I don't need a slave . As a matter of fact ,
unless I start having to vomit I am not going to have people taking care of me. It's ridiculous .






I am feeling angry . I should just go upstairs to my apartment and be alone. Yes I think that is an excellent idea .



I was supposed to meet at the coffee shop with my daughter-in-law today. Since she has had baby Jack we haven't really had time alone to talk. I had to cancel . This really didn't sit well with me.






Yes I am an angry woman today.